


CreationCon Chicago: Frederic Lehne

by yourlibrarian



Series: Convention Write Ups [10]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Conventions, Gen, Nonfiction, Transcribed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 23:01:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30062904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlibrarian/pseuds/yourlibrarian
Summary: Note: Quotes are exact quotes, the rest is paraphrased. I was typing fast.Originally posted November 10, 2007
Series: Convention Write Ups [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2196066
Kudos: 1
Collections: March Meta Matters Challenge





	CreationCon Chicago: Frederic Lehne

Frederic Lehne came on with a guitar and began playing “Sympathy for the Devil” with a little change, telling politicians they should live long enough to taste their own intestines.

How many of you are wearing your Jensen and Jared underwear? Ok, now just the girls. I’ve got mine on. Do you want to see? I didn’t know who to wear, who was going to represent me today. But it’s cold here in Chicago so I put them both on, one in front one in back. “Who’s in front?” someone asked. He said he wasn’t telling. But tomorrow instead of unpacking I can just switch them.

Thanks for getting me to come play with you guys this weekend, it’s been a lot of fun. Tammy surprised me by wearing yellow contact lenses (maybe the con contact who met him?)

He seemed uncertain what to do so he told a joke. “So this guy walks into a bar with a frog on his head and the bartender says “OMG how did that happen?” “I don’t know, It started as a bump on my ass.” That’s the only joke I know.

Eventually questions began and he was asked about shooting with the contacts. It was an interesting experience because I couldn’t see with those contact lenses in, so the words, and where I was walking were my biggest concern. I was walking on gravel, walking in mud puddles, I think they had it in for me after a while.

What was the hardest scene to shoot? Probably the last one when I said “Ouch” because I knew it was all over for yours truly, I’ll have to find another darn job.

“I think you’;re a fantastic actor.” “You’re my favorite audience member so far.” “Is there anything you wouldn’t do to get a job?” Why, what did they tell you I did to get this gig? Why, do you have a job? Are you going to make me some lousy offer? I try not to take money for doing crap. I used to do some movies and said “No one will know but it’s a free trip to Bulgaria,” no one will know but then IMDB came along. Octopus 2…

It was easy for him to play the YED because no one else had done him, though they did show him JDM and what he did and they said “Do better than him, please.” I’m kidding! I love JDM, he’s a wonderful actor and a wonderful guy. I have some of his underwear. I’ve been meaning to call him and return them.

Since you couldn’t see the other actors how could you tell where to look. I had J2 wear these little beanies with beacons on them. They’ll do anything I ask. I positioned myself by the lights and asked them to put a beacon on the camera box. I could tell when I was lit but not if JDM was between me and the camera. I could see some shadows once in a while and peripherally and downwards for some reason. I was born that way. I could see the marks and they put down a big pile of chalk and used sandbags once in a while –- let me give you a demonstration. It was soft when I landed. “Make up!”

Can I get JDM’s phone number from you? I think it’s on the back of his underwear.

In a fight between the YED and Jack Bauer, who would win? “Who’s Jack Bauer?” Oh the DUI guy! (Lots of “Oooooh”s) Can’t handle the truth? I don’t think there’s any question, he’s a mortal. Zuuup, done!

I loved you in Lost, did you know you’d be back for the SPN S2 finale? No. 

He’s never met Kripke. It was really sad that Azazel died. We need to do a letter writing campaign. As per the rules of demons he can’t come back. He thought of a scenario. He says “Sammy” Sam goes “Eeek, don’t hurt me what are you doing back?” “I made a deal. I had to give Kripke his soul back.”

Tell stories about X-Files. That was a lot of fun, he auditioned for them 15 times over 5 years. He was about to say, you want me to drive to Fox at 5 on a Friday afternoon just to not give me the part again? Forget it. But he was glad he got the one he did which was the best of the ones he tried for. But it was good because they were shooting the movie and Gillian and David were too busy to do their own TV show, so he did one episode and it was fun. And he never met David because he was on the movie. Then David called him at home afterwards and Fred didn’t believe it was him. David said that he had an idea for a script and liked what he did and wanted him for a part. The baseball one that David wrote and directed. There was one scene in 1948, his character was the FBI agent who led to the birth of the X files. There was a scene that explained the origin of the term. He talked to his secretary about these strange cases and he needed that file. “Oh that would be the unexplained files.” “Wouldn’t that be the U files?” and she said there’s not any more room. There’s always room in the X Files. Chris Carter said it was a very important scene, don’t screw it up. It was the only time they spoke.

Asked how he could be so sexy and snarky he was flattered by sexy but “I don’t know what snarky means.” He doesn’t know how he pulled off the sexy, snarky scene. Who’s snarkier, me or Jeff? You. This face, they don’t let me kiss the girl anymore. I was shooting this episode of Criminal Minds this week at a high school and the kids are in school and I’m storming through the schoolyard with a shotgun, and I’m blowing the heads off kids, another sexy role. And the school kids are watching “It’s that EVIL guy from SPN!” “Hey Mr. Evil Guy!” waving at him. We all have our niche. And if you think that’s sexy it’s ok.

What prank did J2 play on you. They didn’t prank me I feel very slighted. Wait, who sent you? Let me take this moment to say, J2 really are two of the nicest, most affable, friendly, fun to hang out with guys I’ve ever met. I was there and then back a year later and they could have had their heads get big but they didn’t. They’d all hang out, “in their massive trailers”, or the 3 of us in my trailer, playing some tunes. They’re much snarkier than I am.

The part gave him the opportunity to chew the scenery shamelessly. I wouldn’t be allowed to do that anywhere else. It’s fun to play the bad guy and it doesn’t get any better. I was having fun and so was he, running amok on earth. Free at last!

Asked about always being mean, “Ok so I’m not all that nice to the murderess on Lost.” How do you feel about being typecast? It beats not working. Or it beats working. I’d rather play a bad guy all the time than have a real job.

There’s a new show called Eli Stone starring Johnny Lee Miller, a midseason replacement. He plays a fast track lawyer that has an aneurysm that causes him to have visions. I’m his first vision. I’m not a very nice guy. I am alive though. I started working a lot when I started playing dead people. On Ghost Whisperer, on Lost. The YED is dead technically.

I enjoyed you on The Closer. Not a dead guy! How do you keep such a straight face with all the great one liners? “Take 8, Take 9." A lot of the stuff on The Closer was made up, they just rolled the camera.

What’s your favorite and least favorite experiences as an actor? Favorite are on stage, for an actor, that’s where you get your ya-yas out. Live audience is fun, you get to commune with people, you’ve worked hard and feel like you did something. You just have little moments on TV when you think you did a good job. I’m going to go sit in my trailer for 8 hours until you give me another chance to do it again. His worst experience was also on stage. I did this play on Broadway once. A lady I was in the play with got a letter from John Gielgud, who said he tried to play Fred’s role at 24 and failed miserably and decided it was unplayable. Fred was coming to the same conclusion.

The way the YED spoke just sort of developed, running the lines in the bathroom, in the hotel before he got to set, that meter started happening.

A guy who mentioned his film school and drama background started a very meandering question, and Fred asked if we were all following that. Eventually it came to “What was his process for the role?” You stumped me. The guy’s the angriest guy in the universe. I took it from there.

There are some roles where I have to do historical research or work on an accent or use sense memory, but these days I get out there and just play the role like I’m 7 years old again.

Asked about the S2 finale. For about 6 hours one afternoon I was going to work on 2 different shows in 2 different countries on the same day and it just didn’t work out. Green screen you have to stand still and it’s the hardest part.

That’s the one line I didn’t like the way I delivered it because it was calculated. I chose beforehand to do it that way so maybe it just struck me that way. “Boys shouldn’t play with Daddy’s guns.”

Do you ever get frustrated going from show to show, or do you prefer a recurring role. Would I like to be a regular on a series. No I wouldn’t know what to do with all that money. Yeah, sometimes I get frustrated, and I’ve sometimes been on a series and we’ve not once gotten a second season. It’s not an easy thing to do, so sometimes I want to pout and stamp my feet and say where’s mine but I have to be grateful I can make a living.

Do you watch yourself in your different parts? How does it feel to watch yourself die? Sometimes I like what I do and sometimes I don’t. I don’t like to see myself at 3 in the morning when I’m in bed watching TV. Oh, there I am again. Oh, I was young once.

What character would you like to play? Platinov in “Wild Honey” about a drunk schoolteacher who never forgot about his one true love and goes back to hunt her down. Not to kill her! Ian McKellen first performed it and I always loved it. A couple of other plays I’d love to do.


End file.
